Background: In low and middle-income countries, country specific data is scarce regarding the burden of surgical disease, with most estimates extrapolated from indirect methods. Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) is the only tertiary referral hospital for a population of over 11 million in Northern Tanzania. This study aims to directly quantify the current orthopaedic burden of disease at KCMC and provide a foundation to estimate the magnitude and potential benefit of improving access to orthopaedic surgical care in the northern regions of Tanzania.
barriers. Barriers may be more complex, relating to: healthcare decisionmaking, perceptions of quality and traditional culture and beliefs. It is noted that many patients die before reaching care at the facility level.Going Forward: Multiple methods will provide perspectives from the community on barriers to optimal EC access.d Case studies: Cases that present to the ED late in the course of illness will be utilized to understand aspects such as recognition of symptoms and severity, first aid administered and deliberations of the patient or caregivers. d Focus Groups: Emergency scenarios will be utilized to explore the course of action that would be taken by community members. d Community Survey: Hypothesis will be drawn from the qualitative data and tested with a quantitative survey implemented in locations frequented by a wide cross-section of the community.This program has potential to increase understanding of rural Ugandan sociocultural factors in EC seeking, impact EC implementation and increase mutual understanding between providers and similar underserved populations.
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